conscience then consider the workings of conscience in others what makes Adam to run into the thicket sarah to stand behind the Tent door Jonah to lurke downe in the side of the ship Cain to feare a mortall blow from every man he meets 1 King 20 1 King 22 25. and Benhadad and Zedekiah to be a terror unto themselves and to run from chamber to chamber to hide themselves It was their conscience and nothing but conscience accusing and testifying unto God against them Againe consider how is it that when God is pleased to give out unto us a notable signe of is power and majesty as in thunder and lightning that the very sound of the one and the very sight of the other though these be but from Naturall causes should make a Barbarian a contemner of God to shake and tremble Againe whence is it that there is a Religions Adoration and propension to the worship of a Deity even in those Heathens themselves who sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the unknown God There being no nation under heaven that does not do divine worship to some thing or other and in it to God as they conceive So that they worship many of them but stocks and stones and some particular piece of nature as the Sun Moone or Stars knowing that there is somewhat to whom worship belongs Therefore according to the ordinary naturall light that is in all men there is a God Oh therefore blush and bewaile thy damnable Atheisme Consider well these things know and understand see and say verily there is a God that judgeth the earth thus far of conscience in generall Having spoken of the faculty namely conscience we now proceed unto the Qualitie namely a good conscience Had Paul onely said I have or I am assured I have a conscience he had said no more then a Reprobate or Devill might have said But in that he saith he hath a good conscience and that he is fully perswaded of the same in this he goes beyond all reprobates and Devils who neither have nor ever shall have such a bosome friend within them We must now distinguish conscience into two species namely good and evill 1. Honestè bona pacatè bona A good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding faith and a good Conscience This good Conscience is sometimes quiet sometimes unquiet 2. Vitiosè mala molestè mala Bern Ames An evill Conscience Heb. 10.22 having our hearts sprinkled from an evill Conscience This is likewise peaceable or turbulent Now how these two do differ both in their peace and their trouble I shall hereafter shew you I am now to speak of the first namely a good conscience and more especially of Pauls good Conscience 1. What a good conscience is I answer 1. A good conscience is a Conscience rightly informed and principled by the word so that it can truly judge and determine evill to be evill and good to be good 2. By a good conscience I understand a conscience sanctified by the holy Spirit of God whereby we are incited to good and diswaded from evill and doth readily excuse us for doing well but accuse us for doing evill 3. By Pauls good conscience in the Text I understand a conscience both purified and pacifyed by the blood and spirit of Christ so that upon a true sight and sorrow for sin and a full perswasion of the remission of the same in and for Christ he enjoyed that peace which passeth all understanding Phil 4.7 2 Cor. 1.12 i. e. a true spirituall and incomprehensible rest and quietnesse of mind wrought by Gods spirit in his heart and so preserving him from terror anxiety and trouble But to draw unto some profitable point of Doctrine you heare Paul glorying in a good conscience not as his peculiar as if he only were the man thus blessed of God but doth acknowledge the like mercy to be shewed by God unto others and therefore mentioning those that laboured with him in the Gospell speaketh in the plurall number we are assured we have a good conscience So that we may safely conlude that as all men have a conscience so there are some that have a good conscience Some there are who have not only a Conscience but also a good Conscience Of this some I find Noah a just man and perfect in his generation Gen. 6.9 and one that walked with God i. e. sincerely in his profession of Religion without hypocrisy Moses the meekest on the earth Numb 12.3 one that despised the vaine and vanishing honour riches pleasures of the world choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God Heb. 11.25 then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Job a none-such none like him on the earth Job 1. so perfect so upright that feared God and eschewed evill David a man after Gods owne heart Nathaniel a true Israelite indeed in whom is no guile i. e. a man of simple integrity 1 John Paul a continuall practitioner of a good Conscience making it his daiely practice to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God towards man Act. 24.16 Thus might I tire you out with a long Catalogue of blessed Saints who lived in all good conscience from their conversion unto their dissolution Act. 23.1 Q. How came these to have a good conscience seeing all by nature have their consciences defiled A. 1. They had the bloud of Christ applied unto their consciences whereby they were purged from the impurity of dead workes Heb. 9.14 it being the fountaine for sin and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 in which poor loathsome leperous soules wash and are cleansed they were put into this poole of Bethesda and came out cleane being made white in the blood of the Lamb. 2. They had the righteousnesse of Christ imputed unto them whereby they were discharged from the debt of sin all hand-writings of accusations being cancel'd and they esteemed holy and unblameable in the sight of God Rom. 5.1 Not for any thing wrought in them and done by them but for Christs sake alone Not by imputing faith it selfe or any other Evangelicall obedience but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ as their righteousnesse received and rested on by faith 3. They by diligence in Christian watchfulnesse do maintaine their Covenant with God and if casually by any slip they seemed to break the peace they were carefull to renue their Covenant by true humiliation and reformation earnestly doing their first works and redeeming their former negligence with double diligence Rev. 2.5 2. Q. Whether a man may not have a good conscience yet the same to be very unquiet and much troubled Answ You must know that there is a 4 fold conscience 1. Good and quiet Purifyed and pacifyed which rests in a sweet feeling of the mercies of God in Christ Such a conscience had Paul that testifyed unto him that in simplicity and Godly sincerity he had his
as Ten. So conscience may be past feeling Ephes 4 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remorselesse Stupid like a member that is benumm'd and hath no sense in it as the word signifies like a dead man that feeles not the heaviest Burden that is laid on him But when it is awakned Oh that Infinite unexpressable torments that will surround thy pretious soule At thy Right hand thy sins will be accusing thee At thy Left hand Infinite Devills expecting thee Vnder thee the fulnesse of hell burning Above thee an Angry Judg and within thee hty Conscience tormenting So that to live will be a torment to dye will be an Hell Yea God himselfe will rowse it up if not by his word as he did Ahabs Conscience or by his rod as he did Pharaohs yet by his terrible presence when thou shalt stand before his Tribunall then shalt thou call unto the mountaines to fall upon thee and the Hills to cover thee from the presence of the Lord Yea then shall thy conscience like a vulture gnaw upon thy heart and like a Scorpion sting thy very soule and that rigorouslie without Commsseration constantly without intermission and continually without cessation then shalt thou feele that worme that never dyeth and that fire that never goeth out Oh therefore do not content thy selfe which a false peace but labour for the peace which God approveth give no rest to thine eyes or slumber unto thine eye lids before thou hast gotten a good conscience namely A Conscience both purified and pacified by the bloud and spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 6.11 3. Use for Comfort to such as have tried and upon a truetryall have found themselves to be enriched with this precious Iewel namely a good conscience let such magnifie God say the Lord hath dealt most bountifullie with me praised be his great Name for his uuspeakable gift Elkanah could say to Hannah that he was better unto her then ten sonnes But thy good conscience may truly say to the that she is better then ten thousand sonnes then a world of earthlie freinds for under God and his Christ conscience is the friend of friends the truest sweetest constanst and most faithfull friend 1. The truest Friend which will deale most truly with thee earthly Frinds come short both in reproofes and comforts they doe what they do by halfe speak a little to thy face but more behind thy back and many times deale untruly with thee when thou doest good they will say thou doest evill and when thou doest evill They will say well done but thy good conscience will not do so will not daub with untempered morter nor call good evill nor evill good but will deal very plainly with thee accusing thee when thou doest ill and so excusing thee when thou doest well 2. The sweetest friend Phil. 4. that will make thee ever merry and alwaies rejoyce to laugh under the whip to sing in the stocks to joy even then when thy goods are spoyled yea in the sharpe tryalls to rejoyce that thou art accounted worthy to suffer for Christ and to Compleat thy Joy thy Conscience will feast thee nor once or twise but every day it will be a continuall feast unto thee 3. The constanst friend In time of distresse when carnall friends fayle thee this will abide with thee Art thou in disgrace which men hated traduced accused condemned do the Abjects mock thee the drunkards make songs upon thee do Beliaste charge thee with lies and Falsities doth Tertullus withall his Art render thee an odious and pestilent fellow Againe do thy own friends account thee an hypocrite as Iobs friends did him and the world value thee as the filth and of-scouring of all things Job 16.19 yet comfort thy selfe in this that thy testimony is on high and thy witnesse in heaven yea thy witnesse is on earth in thine owne conscience say with Job not with standing all their spite and lies against me I will hold fast my righteousnesse and will not let it go Job 27.6 my conscience shal not reproach me whilst I live 4. The faithfull'st friend that will help at a pinch and when thou art in greatest need Job tells us that he had friends but they were unfaithfull They deceived him as a brook deceiveth the wearie and thirstie Traveller he comes unto it in Summer to quench his thirst and then behold it is dried up againe he seeks unto it in the Winter season and then behold it is frozen so that he is still disappointed of his hope Thus deale my unfaithfull friends with me saith Job when I have most need of their help then they faile me Job 6.15 Solomon compares such to a broken Tooth Prov. 25.19 and a foot out of joynt which will surely deceive such as trust unto them for when they go to eate their tooth will hinder them or when to walke their foot will paine them and so to be of no use or profit unto them But a good Conscience is no such false friend no thou mayest trust unto it in the greatest pressures in times of disgrace poverty sicknesse death and judgment when all forsake thee then will thy conscience like a faithfull Jonathan stand by thee Ruth 1.17 Ruth's resolution to stick to Naomi in all changes was more then ordinary to tell her that nothing but death should part them But here behold a better freind death shall not part thee and thy Conscience she will be with thee in sicknesse and in health in life and death in judgment and before Gods Tribunall Therefore rejoice and let thy God be ever magnified 4. Use is to exhort all such as have not this Heartejewell of a good conscience to labour above all things for the enjoyment of it This is that unum necessarium though generally neglected Every man voluntarily of himselfe desires a good Wife good Children good Servants good Cloathes good houses yea all good but as for a good conscience which is worth all and without which all these outward blessings will be but so many curses unto us yet alas how carelesse are most in the getting of the one how earnest and laborious in the other Let me therefore advise you in the first place to labour for a good conscience so shall all these outward blessings be sweetned unto you Now that you may not be deceived in this rich commodity I will briefly shew you what it is A good conscience is a conscience both purified and pacisied What a good Conscience is mistake me not I deny not but that Conscience may be good if only purified but it cannot be well compleated except it be also pacified for without this latter there is many a sad soule so troubled that they will not beleive they have what indeed they have viz. a good Conscience They are so far from Pauls assurance of a good conscience that they rather beleive their consciences to be very evill and defiled Therefore strive to get
It is in every part or faculty of the soule 1. It hath the understanding for its Throne and Pallace where it is cheifly resident and keepeth a compleate Court in the whole soule commonly called forum conscientiae and there as a Judge sits determining and prescribing absolving and condemning de jure 2. It s in the memory and there it acteth as Register or Recorder readily minding and recording witnessing and testifying de facto 3. It s in the will and affections and there Conscience carries it selfe like a Jaylour or Executioner rendring rewarding plaguing and punishing every one sine respectu without partiality The 4 th thing in the definition of conscience is determination Conscience determineth what is good what evill what is to be done what not to be done and so excites or diswades accordingly If conscience say this must be done then must we do it for conscience sake If conscience tells us it is evill Rom. 13.5 then must we forbeare for conscience sake i.e. out of an holy feare of God whereby our conscience may be preserved pure before him 5. The rule by which conscience acteth namely the light of Gods law I do not say by the light of the word Gospell or written Law but more largely by the light of Gods law I meane the law of Nature written in mans heart before the word was written or Gospell revealed For as man had a conscience from the beginning so he had light from the beginning to regulate conscience which was the law of Nature written in his heart Rom. 2.15 6. The last thing in the desinition of conscience is her acting or working upon the light received which is twofold either acquitting or condemning when by her light she determines what is done that it is good or evill she accordingly doth excuse or accuse Rom. 2.15 And thus have you conscience in generall defined and explained Having shewed you what conscience is and in whom namely in the reasonable Creature now in so much as every man hath reason I may safely conclude that every man hath conscience The point of Doctrine is clearly this Doct. There is in every man a power or faculty called Conscience 1. That there is in man a conscience let our Apostle cleare up this truth in himselfe how often doth he call and appeale unto conscience upon all occasions when he was convented before the Coūsell greiveous things charged upō him he appeals to conscience Men and Brethren I have lived saith he in all good Conscience before God untill this day Againe when Ananias commanded them that stood by to smite Paul on the mouth Act. 23.1.2 and Tertullus with all his Rhetoricke before Foelix besmeares him calling him a pestilent fellow a mover of sedition a maintainer of the sect of the Pharisees a polluter of the Temple and what not He hath no way to cast off all this filth but by flying unto conscience shewing his enimies how far and free he was from these base aspersions that it was his constant practice to keep a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Act. 24.16 And that you may not think it to be Pauls peculiar but common to others with him we approve our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 Ob. Though good men have a conscience yet wicked men have not A. It is an usuall saying indeed amongst men here when they meet with such as are very hard in their dealings or very vitious in living to say this man hath no Conscience But you must understand their meaning when they say he hath no conscience they meane no good conscience or no working conscience Be you therefore assured that there is a Conscience in every man and woman be they good or bad not only in Paul but also in Pilate not only in John but likewise in Judas John 8.9 Rom. 2.15 The accursed Jewes wicked Pharisees and Heathenish Idolaters will all acknowledge the being and working of Conscience in them To hold therefore that some men have no Conscience is both dishonourable to God and injurious to man 1. A dishonour to God as if he had given man not a perfect but imperfect soule defective in its principall power or faculty we confesse that the body of man being generated may be maimed wanting a part or member Gen. 2.7 as an eye an eare a hand or foot Anima infundendo creatur creando infunditur Tho Aqu. 2. d. 3. q. 1.4.1 because it comes mediately from man but as for the foule being created and infused by God this cannot be defective but compleat in all this powers and faculties and therefore a great dishonour to God to question his workmanship as men do if they deny man to have a conscience Anima humana non eseminis traduce propagatur sed immediatè à Deo creatur which is a speciall power or faculty in the soule 2. An injury to man 1. Deny man conscience you deny him reason and so confound him with a beast but grant him a conscience and you grant him reason and set him in his proper place as a Lord or master over beasts Ps 8.7 2. Againe deny him Conscience you deny him a Soule one of his Essentials and so confound his manhood which were a great injury to him We acknowledge sin hath brought us to a great losse but not to such a losse as to loose our being we have by Adams sin lost our innocency but not our essence our Excellency but not our existence our soule is defiled not annìhilated our powers depraved not destroyed man is man still hath body and soule partes members powers and faculties all good quoad bonum naturale all naught quoad bonum morale The truth then still stands cleare that there is in every man a power or faculty called Conscience 2. The Reasons why God hath planted this power of conscience in man are two 1. R. To shew his Justice that he will judge righteously God commands judges here on earth to execute righteous judgment Deut. 1.16 to proceed secundum allegata probata to do nothing but upon good evidence and witnesse Now shall not the Judge of all the world do right God hath therefore set this power in man that when God comes to judge him he may have sufficient evidence in himselfe his owne Conscience witnessing for him or against him before Gods Tribunall For God will not condemne without a witnesse 2. R. Is to shew his mercy unto man He knowes man is very fraile labilis memoriae apt to forget his God and to forget himselfe Sometimes he goes forth and forgets to pray unto God for protection and direction sometimes he returnes home and neglects his duty of praise to God for his preservation therefore God hath placed in him this power of conscience as a remembrancer unto him Againe sometimes mens Passions are very high as in Jonah Jonah 4.9 who is
but brings it to the touch 1 Thes 5.22 tries all things and so holds fast not what seems good but What is good lastly the render conscience will take heed of what he knowes to be lawfull he dares not to do all that he may doe least he should do what he ought not to doe Consider you that are Gamsters merry come panions fashion-mongers and all flesh-pleasers which are lovers of pleasure more then lovers of God I know you will stand upon your justification and plead strongly for your dicing drinking carding your long haire your fantasticall fashions and pot companions though there be enough recorded in Gods book against them in all of these Me thinks I heare you say there are many great Schollers will maintaine the lawfulnesse and that it is condemned only by a company of strict lacea Puritans and men of meane parts and learning Give me leave to speak the words of truth and sobernesse you say cards dice drinking and merry company are things lawfull 1 Cor. 6.12 but answer me 1. are they expedient 2. Doe they edify you 3. Are they not brought under the power of these things these practices Alas who sees not such as thus seek to please the flesh that they do displease God their merry company makes them to distast the society of Saints their dicing and drinking makes them to loath the hearing and reading of Gods word yea Bible and the pack of Cards are like the Arke and Dagon they will not stand together Let me therefore advise you not to be too presumptuous upon the lawfulnesse of these but consider expediency and edification that all be done soe that God may have glory and your selves may be edified more and more in Christ If you look not to this that which is lawfull in it selfe will be found unlawfull in you You will soon be brought under their power be captivated by what should be your servants Remember therefore what on saith and that most truly licitis perimus omnes the Whole world is undone by lawfull things i. e. lawfull things abused or misesteemed Was it not so with the old world when our Saviour speaketh of the destruction of the old world by water what doth our Saviour charge upon them as deserving this great and generall judgement he mentions only things that were both lawfull and necessary They did eate hey dranke they bought and sold they built and planted they married and were given in marriage See you any unlawfulnesse in any of these notwithstanding the giving themselves up to these things Luk. 17.27 suffering such practices to call them off from God God was highly displeased and themselves fearfully perished Oh therefore doe not presume upon the lawfulnesse of such things but if you have this holy tendernesse in thee examine all circumstances least God be offended and thy conscience so wounded as that thou canst find no peace within but in thy apprehension a very reprobate One word more by way of comfort unto you that are thus tender Use of Comfort possible it is that though you desire tendernesse and to hold a firme peace with conscience yet your conscience may frowne upon you and so you conclude against your selfe that God is angry with you according to that of the Apostle 1. Joh 3.21 If our heart condemne us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things i.e. if our conscience condemne us then God will condemne us much more but your Conscience you say doth condemne you and therefore your condition is very sad before God To give you satisfaction in this I must confesse it is most true that when conscience doth check accuse condemne upon right information there is no hope of avoiding the sentence of God by any close carriage by which we may thinke to shift and hide our selves and our actions from his eyes Yet this hinders not but that sometimes the conscience may condemne where God doth not For though it always judge for God and on his side yet it doth not alwaies judge with God and according to his direction but sometimes it may be that with Jobs friends it makes a lye or God and yet not purposely but through misinformation or prejudice while it lookes on the worst and not on the best that is to say on the present and particular indisposition of the heart and not on the sincere and generall disposition of it Such for want of better light in that particular may feare where no feare is but let me tell such they have a most gracious God that takes no notice of such failings but pardoneth and passeth by the transgressions of his people as if he saw is not Mic. 7.18 Therefore let such tender ones support their spirits upon that sweet and gracious promise of Christ Is 42.3 not to breake the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax i.e. God will not deale harshly with such weake and feeable ones but support and comfort them for though their light be little and burne dimlie yet the Lord will not extinguish it but snuffe it and make it burne more cleerly Consider when your Conscience doth accuse whether it proceed from sufficient light out of the word of God or from wrong information If from light received out of the word of God her sentence is divine and we are to regard it but if otherwise upon wrong information it is the error of conscience and our remedy is by sending conscience to seek the warrant of her sentence out of the word of God Againe if conscience present unto you sins which you committed many years agoe and whereof you have repented For we are to know that albeit after Repentance the Lord forgives the guiltinesse of sin yet he will have the memory thereof to remaine in that conserving faculty of Conscience called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may both serve to humble us for the evill we have done as also to preserve us from sin for the time to come Againe if conscience accuse us for sin committed and not repented it is Gods great mercy who by inward troubles wakens us to judge our selves here that we may not be condemned of the Lord hereafter Obiect Now if any prophane Belialist shall at last say what need all this adoe concerning a good conscience have not all men a good conscience Answ To such I answer in some sence they have a good conscience namely a conscience which is metaphysically and naturally good and so they may and yet go to hell But the conscience that brings with it a continuall feast and is accompanied with grace in this life and glory in the life to come It is more then metaphysically or naturally good It is spiritually and supernaturally good 1. A conscience purged and pacified by the bloud of Christ Heb. 9.14 2. A conscience habitually exercised to inoffensivenesse both to God and man Act. 24.16 3. A conscience that desires to be compleatly good in all things and alwaies Act. 23.1 4. A conscience that will approve it selfe good even in the sight of God Act. 23.1 1 Pet 3.21 5. A conscience that will give testimony of thy hearts simplicity and godly sincerity and sopport thee under greatest troubles and distresses 2 Cor. 1.8 9.10 11 12. Now if upon a serious search thou canst evidence such a conscience I must tell thee thou hast obteined great favour from the Lord and art enriched with so rich a Iewell that far surpasseth all the wealth of the world and can never be worne by the men of this world Rejoice therefore in the Lord alwaies and acquaint thy Christian friends with it that you may rejoice together yea eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God hath accepted thee Eccl. 9.7 The conclusion is this Conclusion Christians Conclusiour Consciences are all obscured corrupted and depraved through Adams fall It is the part of every one to labour to reduce conscience to its prime purity againe When a Compasse is out of frame we touch the needle of the Compasse with a Loadstone that the stone may draw it right to the Pole againe So let our minds be touched with the Loadstone of the Spirit of grace that they may come back to the Lord as to the Pole and quiet themselves in Christ as their true sole and perfect Saviour Let this be your daiely prayer unto God and constant endeavour who only can sanctify us throughout in spirit soule and body who can make every part and member of our bodies with every power and faculty of our soules weapons of Righteousnesse to doe him service Now unto him that is able to make you to stand upright before him and to keep you from falling Jud. 24.25 and to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only Wise God our Saviour be Glory and Majesty Dominion and Power now and for ever Amen April 5th 1656. FINIS